Skin measurement devices from Courage + Khazaka have been used for the second time on the International Space Station (ISS) to verify skin aging in space. The company's Corneometer, Tewameter and Visioscan are being used on the ISS for the experiment SKIN B.

The measurements started in June and are performed by the ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, who went up with the Soyuz rocket on May 29, 2013. Skin elasticity was examined with the Cutometer before the flight and will be measured again when Parmitano will return to earth. It is the follow-up study of the 2006 Skin Care mission, where the company's devices were used on the ISS.

This study could show, among other findings, that during a six months exposure in space, skin aging is accelerated compared to the aging process on the earth. Fortunately, this aging is reversible after one year.

Should this exciting knowledge be confirmed, in the future, interesting skin aging studies in time lapse could be performed in the laboratory of the ISS. The project SKIN B is sponsored (FKZ: 50WP1106) by the space agency Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V.(DLR), and the devices have been qualified for the use in space by Kayser-Threde GmbH. The experiments have been trained and developed by Dermatronnier Institute for Experimental Dermatology at University Witten.